Issue 306: The Midnight Lantern Has Been Lit!
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The Midnight Lantern | The Expanding Bunniverse | Write Through the Fear | Convention and Store Signings | New Books | Events
We had a crazy idea.
We wanted to do something to bring some happiness and joy to families in need, something small but meaningful, something that could illuminate a dark night. We wanted to share a love of horror, dark fantasy, fantasy, and science fiction. The stories that scared us, thrilled us, comforted us. We wanted to create something that didn’t just offer up gifts, but passed along imagination, curiosity, and hope.
And, so, the lantern was lit.
The Midnight Lantern Foundation was born from a simple belief.
Stories matter.
Imagination matters.
And sometimes, a book, a game, or a small piece of wonder can be a light in the shadows.
The Midnight Lantern Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing imaginative joy to children and families who need it most. Through books, comics, games, art, and genre-inspired gifts, the Foundation gathers and shares the kinds of stories that once helped us feel braver, less alone, and more hopeful. Horror, fantasy, science fiction, and all things wonderfully strange can teach courage, empathy, creativity, and resilience.
At its heart, the Midnight Lantern Foundation exists to pass along that spark. The spark that made monsters feel conquerable. The spark that made strange worlds feel like home. The spark that reminded us that even in the darkest places, light can still push the shadows back.
Midnight Lantern is a dedicated to bringing comfort, creativity, and joy to children and families in need through the power of storytelling and fandom. Rooted in a love of horror, fantasy, science fiction, comics, books, and gaming, our mission is to encourage imagination, support literacy, and foster community through generosity and shared creativity.
I have a lifelong personal connection to horror, fantasy, science fiction, role-playing games, and comics. Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand how stories can help individuals cope, connect, and see themselves reflected in imaginative realms. Midnight Lantern is built on the idea that these creative outlets can have a meaningful and positive impact on families today.
Fandom plays a central role in the organization’s philosophy. One of the defining strengths of fan communities is their desire to share what they love. We will be working with donors, creators, and community partners to collect and distribute books, games, toys, and imaginative materials to families facing hardship, with a focus on outreach during the holiday season and other moments when a little magic can mean everything. By gathering gifts from fans, creators, and supporters, Midnight Lantern works to deliver meaningful experiences to families who may benefit from a sense of wonder, escape, and belonging.
Because, sometimes, all it takes is a small light to make the dark feel a little less overwhelming.
During its initial year of operation, The Midnight Lantern Foundation will begin with a focused, manageable program. The first major initiative will involve assembling curated gift bundles—including books, toys, comics, games, and age-appropriate genre items—and delivering them to a small number of families during the 2026 holiday season.
We’ll grow from there.
Rather than pursuing rapid expansion, the organization prioritizes impact, transparency, sustainability, and community engagement. By starting small and learning from each step, Midnight Lantern aims to develop into a distinctive nonprofit that supports readers, fans, gamers, creative thinkers, and families through the imaginative power of genre storytelling.
A lantern in the dark—offering light, imagination, and hope.
If you see me at conventions and events in the future, you will notice a bit of a focus on The Midnight Lantern Foundation. I’ll have free comics to hand out on behalf of the organization, so keep a watchful eye!
For more information on The Midnight Lantern Foundation, visit our website.
And… if you feel inclined to help us get established with business expenses, website upkeep, marketing, and other startup costs, we are running an initial fundraising campaign. The Midnight Lantern Foundation is a verified 501c3, so your donations are tax deductible!
With this, the expanding Bunniverse includes:
Comics, prose, film and game writing
Nightmare Fuel, my newsletter
The Cullenoscopy video series
The Cullenoscopy audio series
Patreon
The Midnight Lantern Foundation
And several other initiatives that have not yet been announced!
No one ever accused me of wanting to do too little!
I’ve spent a good chunk of the last week working on expanding and refining my plans for the future. At this point, I think I have the plan figured out. Now I have to execute. I’ll write at length about the why’s and how’s of this process at some point in the future. First things first, I gotta make it happen.
In the meantime, though, I feel like these two bits of conversation stand out from the last week:
Someone asked me, “Cullen, do you think we can actually pull off [MAJOR UNANNOUNCED NON-COMICS PROJECT]? We really have no idea what we’re doing!”
To which I responded, “I’ve never known what I’m doing, not in any career path in which I’ve been successful.”
And then someone said to me, “The only person standing in Cullen Bunn’s way is Cullen Bunn.”
Which is a true sentiment, but damn I didn’t want Cullen Bunn as an enemy.
You still have about a day to support Write Through the Fear: A Dark and Hungry Place on Kickstarter. Outland has been pleased with this project, and I’m going to get started on the next one in short order!
This zine will be offered in a few different formats—digital, paperback, and a hardcover (limited to 100 copies)!
This past weekend, I attended my first convention of 2026–ArtCon in Neosho Missouri. I had a fun time at the convention, as always, and it helped me get my game face on for a more aggressive convention schedule this year. (Also, Josh and I stood in line for 45 minutes for a fried bologna sandwich… and it was worth it.)
This week, I’m preparing convention stock and placing orders for books. As you’ll see below, another new convention has been added to the calendar. And there are more to come!
This weekend, though, I’ll be heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a store signing at Impulse Creations! I will be joined there by my mortal enemy Dennis Hopeless, so it should be a helluva time!
Here’s a quick rundown of upcoming convention appearances, signings, and other events. Keep in mind, all appearances are subject to changes and cancellations.
February 15, 2026 - Store Signing, Impulse Creations, Tulsa OK
March 27 - 29, 2026 - Planet Comicon, Kansas City MO
May 29 - 31, 2026 - Tremendicon, Springfield MO
June 5 - 7, 2026 - Indiana Comic Con, Indianapolis, IN
June 12 - 14, 2026 - TBA
July 18 - 19, 2026 - Heroes For Kids Comic Con, Perryville MO
September 11 - 14, 2026 - TBA
September 24 - 26, 2026 - TBA
October 10 - 11, 2026 - TBA
October 23 - 25, 2026 - TBA
LINKTREE - Links! Links! Links! This will get you everywhere worth visiting!
PATREON - Here, I post a serialized novel, a serialized comic book, short stories, and other cool materials.
THE CULLEN BUNN DISCORD SERVER - A place for fans to hang out and talk about comics, books, movies, games, collecting, and whatever else strikes their fancy.
MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE - Listen. You should always shop at your local comic and bookstore first, but if they don’t carry the books you want, you might be able to get them here. And, if nothing else, leave some reviews of the books you love!
This is an absolutely beautiful mission.